Helena (wife of Julian)
| Helena | |
|---|---|
| Roman empress | |
| Tenure | 360 (alongside Eusebia) |
| Born | before 326 |
| Died | 360 |
| Spouse | Julian |
| Dynasty | Constantinian |
| Father | Constantine the Great |
| Mother | Fausta |
| Religion | Nicene Christianity[1] |
Helena (Greek: Έλένη; died 360) was the daughter of Constantine I and wife of Julian. She was briefly Roman empress when Julian was proclaimed Augustus by his troops in 360, but died shortly afterwards.[1]
Caesar's wife[edit]
On 6 November 355, Helena’s cousin Julian was declared Caesar by her brother Constantius II.[2] She was married to the Caesar days after his proclamation, confirming the alliance between Julian and Constantius.[3]
Helena followed her husband to Gaul and gave birth to a son there, although he did not survive. Additionally, she experienced a miscarriage after traveling to Rome in 357. Ammianus attributed both incidents to her sister-in-law, the empress Eusebia, plotting against her, supposedly because Eusebia was envious of Helena as she herself was unable to have children.[4] "A History of Medicine" (1995) by Plinio Prioreschi dismisses the account as an example of a very common error in accounts of ancient medicine, "the attribution to drugs of properties that they could not have". In this case, a potion which is consumed just once and keeps having effect for years. Prioreschi regards it as "an obvious impossibility in the light of modern pharmacology".[5]
Shaun Tougher follows the example of senior historian Noël Aujoulat in considering the story of Helena's miscarriages being the result of abortifacients to be entirely plausible. Both historians consider Ammianus' allegations, casting Eusebia as the orchestrator of such a plot, should be taken into consideration and "not be lightly dismissed".[6] On the other hand, Peter Crawford observed that there was little to no evidence of such plotting, and Julian did not display any suspicion towards Eusebia, at least outwardly. On speculating Ammianus’ reasoning for the accusation, he suggested that the historian was trying to defend Julian from allegations of divine ill-favor by attributing his wife’s miscarriages to human interference.[4]
.png)
Whatever the case, "The Cambridge Ancient History" noted her presence in Rome during the Vicennalia of Constantius II, a celebration of his 20th anniversary as emperor. The presence of Constantius, Eusebia and Helena marked this as a dynastic display.[7]
Empress[edit]
In February 360, after Constantius had demanded the transfer of thousands of soldiers from Julian in preparation for his Persian campaign, the troops revolted and proclaimed Julian as emperor at Paris, which he accepted.[8] Helena was with him at the time of the proclamation,[1] although her role in the conflict between her husband and brother is left unmentioned.
Death[edit]
Helena is next mentioned as already dead by November 360. While Julian was celebrating the 5th anniversary of his accession to power, he sent the remains of his wife to be buried next to her sister Constantina.[9] In his assessment of Julian, Ammianus said that he practiced chastity and avoided sexual intercourse for the rest of his life.[10] The "Funeral Oration upon the Emperor Julian" by Libanius elaborates on the subject by saying that he regretted his wife, because he would’ve avoided sexual intercourse his entire life if not for her.[11]
Barnes notes that Ammianus offers much praise of both Julian and Eusebia. In contrast, there is no such praise for Helena, nor an actual assessment of her.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Jones, Martindale & Morris, pp. 409–410.
- ^ Jones, Martindale & Morris, p. 477.
- ^ Hunt 1998, p. 29.
- ^ a b Crawford 2016, p. 211.
- ^ Plinio Prioreschi, "A History of Medicine" (1995), page 658
- ^ "The Propaganda of Power: The Role of Panegyric in Late Antiquity", page 122
- ^ Hunt 1998, pp. 29–30.
- ^ Hunt 1998, pp. 56–57.
- ^ The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus, vol. 2, Book 21, chapter 1. 1940 translation
- ^ The Roman History of Ammianus Marcellinus, vol. 2, Book 25, chapter 4. 1940 translation
- ^ "Libanius, "Funeral Oration upon the Emperor Julian". 1888 translation". Archived from the original on 2008-06-01. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ^ Barnes 1998, pp. 122–123.
Sources[edit]
- Barnes, Timothy D. (1998). Ammianus Marcellinus and the Representation of Historical Reality (Cornell Studies in Classical Philology). Cornell University Press. ISBN 080143526-9.
- Crawford, Peter (2016). Constantius II: Usurpers, Eunuchs, and the Antichrist. Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-78340-055-3.
- Hunt, David (1998). "The successors of Constantine + Julian". In Averil Cameron & Peter Garnsey (eds.). The Cambridge Ancient History XIII: The Late Empire, A.D. 337–425. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-30200-5.
- Jones, A.H.M.; J.R. Martindale & J. Morris (1971). Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire. Vol. 1. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07233-6.
External links[edit]
- Her profile in the "Prosopography"
- Page mentioning her marriage in Philostorgius' history
- Page in "Representation of Historical Reality" mentioning her depiction by Ammianus Marcellinus
- Page of "History of Medicine" which mentions Eusebia and Helena
- Page of "Propaganda of Power" discussing Helena's miscarriages
- Page of the "Cambridge Ancient History" mentioning her visit to Rome
- Page of the "Book of Acts" mentioning Julian's letter to Athens
- Page of the "Epistle to the Athenians" which mentions her being alive at the proclamation of Julian